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Vertical Jigging for Lake Trout/Togue by Daddy Mac Lures Pro Staffer Tim Moore from Tim Moore Outdoors

Vertical Jigging for Lake Trout/Togue

By Daddy Mac Lures Pro Staffer Tim Moore From Tim Moore Outdoors

When I mention lake trout fishing to most anglers I usually get one of two responses, “I love trolling” or, “I hate trolling.” For many lake trout angler, trolling is synonymous with lake trout fishing. I’m not the biggest fan of trolling. I don’t have anything against it, I just can’t get over the feeling I get when I set the hook on a fish. So, when I discovered that there was not only a time and place to vertical jig for lakers, but the numbers were high, I was immediately intrigued.

When lake water temperatures reach their highest, usually in August, lake trout will head deep. As the days grow shorter, the lakers begin to school up in greater numbers and feed aggressively. The shorter days tell the trout that it’s almost time for them to spawn. For that they will need energy in the form of fat reserves, which they usually get from feeding on rainbow smelt, and sometimes they feed all day.

August and September lake trout are typically found in some of the deepest areas of a lake. On Lake Winnipesaukee they often suspend 100’ down over 150’ of water. This makes them somewhat easier to locate, but not always easy to catch. They typically see a fair amount of fishing pressure and there are usually so many smelt in the same area that dropping your jig into them is like throwing a needle into a haystack. Using a lure that they haven’t seen before is sometimes the key to a more productive trip.

My favorite lures are metal jigs designed with sizes and profiles which closely resemble that of small baitfish and are designed specifically for vertical jigging. My ultimate favorite is the 1.4 ounce smelt-colored Nervous Minnow Jointed Jig from Daddy Mac Lures. It works better than any other lure I have ever used. The Daddy Mac 1.4-ounce Albie jig in blue or black is a blade-style spoon that also closely resembles the size and profile of the rainbow smelt that lake trout are often feeding on. These lures are compliant with the New Hampshire lead ban, as they are considered a spoon by definition.

As for a particular jigging cadence, the fish pick the winners. Vary your cadence until you figure out what best triggers bites and by all means, pay close attention to your line as your lure falls. Count down how long it takes to get to the bottom. If your lure stops sinking early you know a fish has it in its mouth. Then close your bail and set the hook. The majority of bites will come on the drop when jigging or while dropping back down to the fish.

Vertical jigging lake trout in August and September is one of my favorite activities, both as an angler and as a guide. Having a 50-fish day is not uncommon, and 100 fish days (per boat) are possible. It’s a numbers game. Just remember that you are bringing these fish up from deep water. They will need time to expel gasses from their swim bladder, so bring them up slow. When you think you are bringing them up slow enough, slow down about even more. You will notice that they will fight hard at first, then feel like dead weight, and then begin to fight again once they burp out some of the air in their swim bladder. Moments later you may see air bubbles rise to the surface.

If you love vertical jigging any species of fish, and you enjoy catching them in large numbers, vertical jigging for lake trout might be for you. The fish are present in numbers, they are there to feed, and they fight hard. It’s hard to beat the big head shakes of a beefy togue. Taking care of the fish you catch by bringing them up slowly, getting them back in the water quickly, and releasing the bigger ones to be caught another day will ensure that there are plenty for your next outing, and the next, and the next.

Tim Moore is a full-time licensed NH fishing guide and owner of Tim Moore Outdoors. LLC. He is a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association and the producer of Tim Moore Outdoors TV. Visit www.TimMooreOutdoors.com for more information.

Tim Moore

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Public Service: Massachusetts Commercial Reg Changes – Black Sea Bass and Striped Bass

The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries has released some updates to the commercial regulations for Striped Bass and Black Sea Bass. The changes are summarized below as well as a link to the Press Release:

Striped Bass

Season opens Monday June 25th, and is open every Monday and Thursday thereafter until the Quota is reached. The regulations of 15 fish at 34 inches remains unchanged. The one new update is that if July 3rd, July 4th or Labor day fall on a Monday or Thursday and the season is still opened, then that day will be a closed fishing day.

Black Sea Bass

Season opens on July 9th, actually the first allowed fishing day is Tuesday July 10th and will remain open until the quota is reached. One additional change this year is the to open days where you are allowed to possess Black Sea Bass commercially are now Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.

Daddy Mac Lures should be right in the mix of commercial fisherman, please be safe out there.

For the press release, please visit the link below:

https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2018/04/09/2018%20Fishing%20Limit%20Changes.pdf

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Daddy Mac Lures WAHOONBOX Series ViperSnipers now available for purchase at canyoncandytackle.com

The Daddy Mac Lures WAHOONBOX Series ViperSnipers are now available for purchase at canyoncandytackle.com. You can buy naked baits or full dredges using our patented fabric linked technology. The ViperSnipers are simply put “Offshore ready.” They swim true at any speed, 1 knot to 10 knots and have teased in the winnoing fish in Big Rock 2017 for the sweet prize of 1.1 million.

See some of the beauties below:

Tell them Marty “WAHOONBOX” Hiatt sent you!

Marty WAHOONBOX Hiatt

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Daddy Mac Lures now available for purchase at Clark Marine in Manchester, Maine

We are proud to announce that you may now purchase Daddy Mac Lures at Clark Marine in Manchester Maine. We met Rob, the owner this past weekend at the Maine Sportsman’s Show in Augusta, Maine. He was so impressed with our lures, that he had to have them. So the next time you are there, getting your boat serviced or looking to pick up a new Crestliner, get some Daddy Macs and tell Rob that we sent you!

Special thanks to Daddy Mac Lures Pro Staffer Captain Matt Trombley and his better half Tina of 3rd Alarm Charters for their hard work this past weekend representing Daddy Mac at the show in Augusta.

Clark Marine will have some of our Viper 3″ and Viper 5″ Minnows available in assorted colors.

Clark Marine

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Daddy Mac Lures Pro Staffer Tim Moore: 3 Must-Have Striper Lures

By Daddy Mac Lures Pro Staffer Tim Moore from Tim Moore Outdoors

Which lures work best for striped bass often varies based on geographic location. Stripers are migratory. As they migrate north each summer they have a variety of different food sources, but this variety changes along the way. This can alter the size, profile, and color of the most effective lures in each area. No matter where the stripers are along their range, they have three main prey types that they key in on. Small baitfish, medium to large baitfish, and eels. Here are three types of lures that closely imitate these prey items, and ones I never leave land without when pursuing striped bass.

Shads

Soft plastic paddletails, often referred to as swim shads, vary in size and mimic small to large baitfish, such as mackerel, alewives, or menhaden. A 6” swim shad is a staple in my striper tackle box. Paddletails are designed to not only mimic bait in size, color, or profile, but get their name from their large paddle-like tail designed to create thumping vibrations in the water. As much as a baitfish swimming through the water will entice feeding stripers, it’s the vibration created by the paddletail that calls them in and triggers strikes the best. You can cast and retrieve, or rip them through the water column and pause to let them sink briefly as if to imitate a wounded fish.

Soft Baits

Stripers find eels irresistible. They find the erratic action of a soft plastic eel-imitating bait even more irresistible. Soft baits, such as the original Hogy imitate eels, a favorite forage for striped bass. You can rig a Hogy weightless and twitch it in slow moving shallow water to entice cruising bass, or rig it on a jig head and fish it along the bottom in rocky areas where eels might be most likely to hide out. Slowly twitching a Hogy is a favorite of many kayak anglers due to the explosiveness of a big bass when it hits.

Vertical Jigs

Daddy Mac Lures Pro Staffer Tim Moore from Tim Moore Outdoors with a nice Cape Cod Striped Bass caught on a Daddy Mac Lures Elite Deluxe 2.8 jig in Sand Eel Green vertical jigging.

Vertical jigs, like most lures, vary in size, color, and profile. The name vertical jig often leaves many anglers fishing them straight up and down, but these lures are deadly when casted and retrieved. Daddy Mac Lures makes one of the most comprehensive lines of metal vertical jigs on the market. The wide range of sizes and profiles allows you to tailor your lure to what the fish are eating, or match the hatch. While vertical jigs are very effective when fished below your kayak or boat, they really shine when casted out, allowed to sink to the bottom, and then retrieved back. Vertical jigs are my first choice when stripers are holding on deeper structure in fast moving currents.

There are many lures on the market that work well for striped bass. The ultimate choice of which lure we use often boils down to our confidence in a specific lure. We use the lures we believe work best and we use our favorites most often, sometimes to a fault. If space is limited, such as it is in a kayak, it becomes important to narrow down the options. Regardless of where you fish for stripers, walk into any tackle shop and you’ll see these three types of lures on the shelves. Partially because they sell, but mostly because they work.

Tim Moore is a full time licensed NH fishing guide and owner of Tim Moore Outdoors. LLC. He is a member of the New England Outdoor Writer’s Association and the producer of Tim Moore Outdoors TV. Visit www.TimMooreOutdoors.com for more information.

Tim Moore

 

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Daddy Mac Lures WAHOONBOX Series ViperSnipers now available at Haddrells Point Tackle (2 Locations) in South Carolina

The Big Rock 2017 $1.1 million winning teaser bait, the Daddy Mac Lures WAHOONBOX Series ViperSnipers are now available at Haddrells Point Tackle in South Carolina (Charleston & Mt. Pleasant). Check out both stores and tell the Daddy Mac & Marty “WAHOONBOX” Hiatt sent you.

 

Haddrells Point Tackle – Charleston

Haddrells Point Tackle – Mt. Pleasant

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Daddy Mac Lures can now be bought at Two Rivers Canoe & Tackle in Medway Maine

We are proud to announce that you can now purchase Daddy Mac Lures at Two Rivers Canoe & Tackle in Medway Maine.

We are looking forward to building this relationship with Barry & Nancy after a great discussion at the Maine Sportsman’s Show in Augusta Maine this past weekend. Two Rivers Canoe & Tackle are initially carrying our Daddy Mac Lures Viper 3″ and 5″ Minnows in assorted colors. Please stop by and tell them that Daddy Mac sent you!

A huge shout out to Captain Matt Trombley and his better half Tina of #rd Alarm Charters for their work representing Daddy Mac Lures in Augusta Maine.

#daddymaclures #fishwithvenom #3rdalarmcharters

Two Rivers Canoe & Tackle can be found here: https://daddymaclures.com/stores/two-rivers-canoe-tackle/

3rd Alarm Charters can be found here: https://www.lakechamplainfishingcharters.com/

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Vertical Jig Black Sea Bass and Top Water Striped Bass/Bluefish with In Season Outdoors TV

To keep in line with the Black Sea Bass theme, check out this episode on In Season Outdoors TV with host and Daddy Mac Lures Pro Staffer Tim Moore from Tim Moore Outdoors. We embark out of Falmouth and fish the wrecks and humps between Falmouth and Marthas Vineyard for jumbo Black Sea Bass. We end up at Middle Ground fishing top water for Bluefish and Schoolie Striped Bass. In this video we use the following Daddy Mac Lures jigs/lures:

It is highly recommended that you subscribe to both In Season Outdoors TV and Daddy Mac Lures here:

In Season Outdoors TV (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUSDVxFkxYbW0weDm2Q2pww

Daddy Mac Lures (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/user/DaddyMacLures1

Check out the Hot Cape Cod Black Sea Bass action with Tim Moore from In Season Outdoors TV and Dennis “Daddy Mac” MacDonald and Jack Houghton from daddy Mac Lures below (Special shut out to Chuck Fritz on the camera):